The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is a novel that combines several well-established literary genres and tropes, inhabiting a niche in the greater world of magical realism. The modern landscape of the broader fantasy genre holds a spectrum of fiction from lighthearted magical realism set in modern, real-world locations to serious high fantasy in completely fictional universes, as inspired by classic fantasy titles like The Hobbit. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches falls on the lighter end of the spectrum, its setting even more grounded in the real world than its witchy predecessors like the Harry Potter series. Although both these titles take place in modern-day England, where non-magical humans are often hostile toward magic and magic users, Mika’s universe lacks an alternate world (like Hogwarts in the Harry Potter books) in which magic can be practiced openly and in groups. Mika’s magical lessons, instead, take place in the much smaller, cozier setting of Nowhere House. In addition, this novel features several common fantasy character tropes. Primrose, for example, embodies the “Old Crone” trope as a stern yet respected source of wisdom for Mika and the other witches of the Society.